Public Health - The Indiana Lawyer

Profitable change: Solo, small firm attorneys see upsides to payment, firm administration changes during pandemic

May 11, 2022 | Katie Stancombe

Roughly half of all small firms reported in Thomson Reuters’ 2021 State of U.S. Small Law Firms study that they endured a moderate or significant struggle in getting paid by clients over the last two years. Many also expressed concerns about acquiring new business. But those firms that created a concentrated approach to addressing their payment challenges saw quick, positive results.

Becker: Challenges in running a small firm during COVID

May 11, 2022 | Carl Becker

When you are a small firm, you become fully familiar with each person in the office, including knowing and caring about each person’s family. As such, the first and most important decisions during COVID were to protect the health of our staff and their families.

Analyzing COVID-19’s impact: IU McKinney course takes in-depth look at pandemic’s reach

April 26, 2022 | Katie Stancombe

Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law professor Nicolas Terry taught a class this spring called “The Law of COVID,” which focused on a variety of legal and policy issues related to the pandemic.

Justice Dept. to appeal order voiding travel mask mandate

April 22, 2022 | Associated Press

The Justice Department is filing an appeal seeking to overturn a judge’s order that voided the federal mask mandate on planes and trains and in travel hubs, officials said.

Feds will appeal mask ruling only if mandate still needed

April 20, 2022 | Associated Press

The Justice Department said Tuesday it will not appeal a federal district judge’s ruling that ended the nation’s federal mask mandate on public transit unless the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention believes the requirement is still necessary.

Federal judge voids mask mandate for planes, other travel

April 19, 2022 | Associated Press

A federal judge in Florida struck down a national mask mandate on airplanes and mass transit Monday, and airlines and airports swiftly began repealing their requirements that passengers wear face coverings. The judge’s decision freed airlines, airports and mass transit systems to make their own decisions about mask requirements, resulting in a mix of responses. […]

US jobless claims rise but remain near a half-century low

April 14, 2022 | Associated Press

The number of people seeking unemployment benefits ticked up last week but remained at a historically low level, reflecting a robust U.S. labor market with near record-high job openings and few layoffs.

Not wanting to wait for court, more people seeking mediation

April 13, 2022 | Marilyn Odendahl

More attorneys and their clients have been seeking mediation because of the backlog in the courts. Mediators explained they are seeing parties who want to get their disputes resolved but are not willing to wait for the courts’ calendars to clear.

Appeals court OKs Biden federal employee vaccine mandate

April 8, 2022 | Associated Press

President Joe Biden’s requirement that all federal employees be vaccinated against COVID-19 was upheld Thursday by a federal appeals court.

Former Indiana AG Hill leading mock grand jury against Fauci, website says

April 7, 2022 | Emily Ketterer and Indianapolis Business Journal Staff

Former Indiana Attorney General Curtis Hill has a new job as the lead on the legal team in a fake grand jury to investigate Dr. Anthony Fauci, according to the organizing group’s website.

Judge blocks Air Force discipline over vaccine objections

April 5, 2022 | Associated Press

A federal judge has blocked the military from disciplining a dozen U.S. Air Force officers who are asking for religious exemptions to the mandatory COVID-19 vaccine.

Battle heats up over remaining federal rental assistance

April 4, 2022 | Associated Press

States in recent months returned tens of millions of dollars in unused rental assistance because they have so few renters.

State health department makes major changes to COVID dashboard

April 1, 2022 | Indianapolis Business Journal Staff

The Indiana Department of Health on Wednesday made major changes to its COVID-19 dashboard, which it has been using since early in the pandemic to provide the public with coronavirus-related data.

Interest exclusion in foreclosure case based on pandemic emergency orders reversed

March 31, 2022 | Katie Stancombe

A bank seeking to foreclose on an Indiana property can collect interest accrued during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic despite emergency court orders tolling interest, the Court of Appeals of Indiana has ruled.

COA allows students’ COVID breach complaints against IU, Purdue to proceed

March 31, 2022 | Jordan Morey

Lawsuits filed by students at Indiana and Purdue universities alleging breaches of contract when the schools moved to online learning because of the COVID-19 pandemic will proceed, the Court of Appeals of Indiana has ruled.

Indiana joins 21-state challenge to federal mask mandate

March 30, 2022 | Marilyn Odendahl

Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita has joined a federal lawsuit filed by the state of Florida seeking to repeal the federal mandate requiring individuals to wear masks when traveling by public modes of transportation including airplanes, trains, road vehicles and ships.

US opens second COVID boosters to 50 and up, others at risk

March 30, 2022 | Associated Press

Americans 50 and older can get a second COVID-19 booster if it’s been at least four months since their last vaccination, a chance at extra protection for the most vulnerable in case the coronavirus rebounds.

New law gives Hoosier tenants some relief from eviction stigma

March 30, 2022 | Marilyn Odendahl

With the signing of House Enrolled Act 1214 into law, Hoosiers who have been evicted then struggled to overcome the stigma now have a way to scrub the “Scarlet E” from their records.

Faith-based legal office again looking for leader

March 30, 2022 | Marilyn Odendahl

Stenciled on the back wall of the Expungement Help Desk run by the Neighborhood Christian Legal Clinic is a reminder that many who come looking to move forward with their lives often photograph and post on their Facebook pages. The message reads: “Don’t look back, you’re not going that way.” As it begins another search for a new executive director almost two years after hiring its previous leader, Amy Horton, the clinic may need to keep that affirmation in mind.

Indiana COVID-19 hospitalizations hit lowest mark since first month of pandemic

March 24, 2022 | Indianapolis Business Journal Staff

Statewide hospitalizations due to COVID-19 have fallen to their lowest point since the first month of the pandemic, according to the latest figures from the Indiana State Department of Health.

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